Oral History - all
Bob Magnusson played bass for Buddy Rich, which is when he learned firsthand about the role the bass has within a band and how to work with the drummer to create the best section possible. These lessons and many others he picked up during his long career in music were discussed in Bob’s 2014 NAMM... more
Rafael Zendejas has worked for Remo since 1987. When he began, the company was located in North Hollywood. Today he is a factory supervisor within the headquarters of Remo Inc., which is located in Valencia, California. He started in the production end of the factory, sanding drums and soon grew... more
Rosa Villa is the Lead Supervisor within the drumhead shipping department at Remo Inc. headquarters in Valencia, California Like many of her co-workers, Rosa has been working for the company for several decades and she finds the work very rewarding. Over the years she has taken part in the... more
Nazy Smith is the Credit Director at Remo Inc. headquarters in Valencia, California Her dedication to her job and the connection she feels with her fellow workers is very similar to many we have met at Remo. She is at Remo because she personally feels connected to the founder, Remo Belli, the... more
Thanh Kha has worked for Remo since 1981. He came to this country from Vietnam not knowing any English or Spanish, which was the primary language within the factory. Thanh was determined to learn the language and to do the very best to gain as many skills as possible. The first job he had at Remo... more
Chris Whittington is the product engineer at Remo Inc in Valencia, California, a place he has referred to as his home. After all, Chris is a musician who is passionate about playing, who designs instruments that are used by musicians who are passionate about playing! Sitting down with Chris for... more
Cal Stelly began working for Remo Inc right after serving in the US Military. When Cal began working for the company, Remo Inc had only been around 7 years. Cal was able to watch the company expand over the years and played a role in its growth. He worked in several departments and supervised a... more
Jackie Stein, like so many of her co-workers at Remo Inc, feels a strong family bond with many of the employees. It is a tempo set by the founder, Remo Belli, who spends time each day he is in the office talking to the employees and working in the factory. The effect of his leadership style is... more
Birth Date: October 25, 1929
Deceased Date: December 17, 2014
Phil Passin began working for Carl Fischer in 1947 in the shipping department, where he took a deep interest in the industry. After serving in the US Army during the Korean War, Phil returned to Carl Fischer where he began working his way up in the company. When the company sold its interest in... more
David Kessler grew up in his father’s band instrument repair shop. David established the store’s Internet site and has played a key role in the connection the store has with each of their customers. What is clear to anyone who sees David in action, talking with customers, is that he is passionate... more
Chuck Kessler enjoys teaching the craft of instrument repair. He enjoys working on instruments to bring each one to top playing ability and seeing the faces of the musicians when their favorite horn is playing better than ever. As a member of NAPBIRT, Chuck has also worked hard to elevate the... more
Marcial “Robert” Flores knows world percussion! Starting as an entry-level employee as a young man, Robert has worked his way through nearly every process at Remo Inc. and up through the ranks to become the World Percussion Coordinator for Remo, which is no small task. In that role, Robert has... more
Soledad Marron knows drumheads! Having worked for Remo Inc. for over 30 years, she has been inspecting drumheads as a Quality Assurance Inspector for over 25 years. She undisputedly holds the world record for having handled more drumheads than anyone else in human history. She inspects 20,000 a... more
Jose Manuel Solis knows manufacturing! As plant manager for Remo Inc., Manuel seeks to continuously improve production processes. His manufacturing knowledge spans several decades and has drawn the admiration of the industry for his ability to manage a plant that is able to adapt and respond to... more
Birth Date: November 17, 1953
Deceased Date: December 12, 2014
John Hampton was a Grammy winning engineer at the Ardent Studios in Memphis, where he worked side by side with the studio's founder, John Fry. The studio recorded a long list of artists from Stax in the early days when Mr. Fry opened the business. Over the years the studio was home to many... more
Nobunari Yanagisawa is the president of the company his father established just before World War II. The company began as a repair shop, which focused on the saxophone. The factory was used for military projects during the war but closed after the war. His father had a difficult time finding raw... more
Birth Date: April 22, 1932
Deceased Date: May 5, 2016
Isao Tomita was the world-renowned composer of electronic music who famously used the Moog synthesizers to create award winning music that influenced a generation of music makers! Among his most incredible contributions to music was his use of multitrack recordings to create polyphonic... more
Ken Taniguchi runs the store his father opened in 1936 in Ochanomizu, Japan. The store started as a repair shop for accordions in the years before World War II. When US soldiers came in for repairs on all manner of instruments, the shop developed a strong reputation and soon expanded. Ken came... more
Kazuhiko Shima is the director of the Hamamatsu Musical Instrument Museum, which opened to the public in 1995. He was hired the year before to help assemble the instruments and create the displays. He is proud of the programs they have developed over the years to engage visitors of all ages. The... more
Tadahiro Sato loved music and baseball! In fact after playing baseball for many years in his youth, he joined the music industry while playing baseball all along. His sister's husband established Star Music in Japan in 1950, where Tadahiro began working four years later. He and his brother-in-... more